


Pretend

by GoofyGoldenGirl



Category: Journey into Mystery, Marvel, Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bittersweet, Friendship, Games, Gen, Journey Into Mystery #645, Playing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-21 01:52:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10675236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoofyGoldenGirl/pseuds/GoofyGoldenGirl
Summary: AU where instead of sending Leah away, Loki in 645 asks her to play a game with him





	Pretend

"Loki! Wait! Slow down!"

Clinging to the skirts of her dress, her feet arching as they touched down on the crumpled up leaves on the ground, Leah found that she couldn't keep up. She dug her heels into the grass and placed her hands on her knees. With a gasp, she peered through the small eyeholes in the superhero mask at Loki's blurry figure. He seemed to have noticed that she was behind. He stopped, and with a spin of the stick in his hand, turned around to face her.

"Loki what is the meaning of this?" She exclaimed in a frustrated tone.

"We have to hurry up! The thief is getting away!" Loki pointed off at the far end of the meadow with the stick.

"There's no thief!" She pointed out for the third time. 

"We have to save the day Leah! Who knows how much gold that thief stole?"

"Enough with the nonsense Loki! Damien's been rambling on about a crown and Mephisto and if we don't act quickly, something terrible is going to happen!"

"But it's fun to feel like a hero. Haven't you played pretend before?" Loki said.

"We've already helped save the nine realms from destruction! Isn't that _enough?_ Now why don't we just stop this and get back to--"

"Have you ever played in your life?" He interrupted.

"I'm a handmaiden. Handmaidens don't play," Leah cooly said.

"Well, have you ever thought about playing?"

It wasn't that the question struck Leah as something worth pondering over, but his behavior. Yes, he did seem sincere in his eagerness to play, much like other whims that he entertained himself with, but it didn't mean he would outright ignore her comment about Damien and Mephisto. He would have addressed it by now with a snide remark about how it wasn't his problem. Instead, he was trying to distract her by diverting the conversation back to his game. It was almost as if he was trying to get her not to mention them at all. And as she struggled to read his expression through the slits in the mask, Leah felt scared for him. Something was _wrong_ and whatever it was, he was choosing to keep it from her.

Her eyelashes uncomfortably curled up against the mask as she squinted at him. The sunlight shone down upon the top of his head, brightening up the sides of his jet black hair like a glittering crown. It reflected off of his mask, shirt, and trousers; bringing out their off- color shade of black that was nowhere near as brilliant as the waves on his head. And she gazed at his unusually tense smile as he waited for her to answer, she noticed that the corners of his mouth trembled. 

"Not until now," she said.

He genuinely smiled this time.

"Then come on! Let's go!" They started across the field together.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Hours later, Loki and Leah were back at the same spot where they had set off in their game. They removed their masks and faced each other. Loki was grinning ear to ear, cheeks puffed up like a cherub's as he took a step towards her.

"Did you have fun?" He asked. 

"I enjoyed myself very much," Leah answered.

"Really?" He was surprised and pleased by her answer.

"Do I have to repeat myself?" A rare smile crept across her cheeks, the kind she only saved for those she truly cared about. "I did."

A happiness like she had never seen in her life lit up across his face. His eyes sparkled. His grin grew wider. A bit of color flushed in his cheeks as his lips parted to reveal a flash of white teeth.

"Do you want to play again?"

"Now? Not now. I'm tired. I think I'll rest for a while. We can play again later," Leah sat down on the grass and gazed out at the meadow.

She felt Loki kneel down behind her. His back pressed against hers. He let out a sigh.

"Don't you wish moments like this could last _forever?_ " He whispered.

He had said those words during a pivotal moment in the game, and now upon hearing them again, Leah felt chills go down her spine. She forced herself to look up, hoping that the sun's harsh rays would bore into her eyes and vaporize the tears that threatened to flow. She couldn't face him. She couldn't without loosing the composure that she prided herself on so well. So Leah sat there beside him and watched the sky, hoping that her company would be enough to give him comfort for whatever came next.

**Author's Note:**

> If some parts of this fic are giving you a case of dejavu there's a reason why


End file.
